


White Lily, for Purity

by RumRollins (GreyStained)



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Unicorns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:08:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyStained/pseuds/RumRollins
Summary: The reward received is not the one first presented.
Relationships: Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	White Lily, for Purity

The job, assigned to him by the village leaders, had been simple enough: go into the forest, retrieve the cure for the disease devastating their population, and be paid handsomely in gold and respect. To an inexperienced freelance, it must’ve seemed like child’s play.

But many a foolhardy hero-to-be had already wandered into the wood, and none had returned. The errand was racking up a body count similar to that of the plague, only instead of taking their weak and feeble, it stole their vibrant and robust. It almost appeared as though the best option was to quarantine their sick and wait the plague out. He’d been told all this by a drunkard at the local inn and took quiet note of it.

The reason for all this hardship became clear when he learned what the one known cure was: powdered unicorn horn.

Unicorns were seldom like the creatures waxed poetic about in folktales. With cloven hooves and strong legs, a lion’s tail and a similar ferocity, they weren’t a beast to be handled carelessly. Jack had only seen one once before, stuffed and displayed in a palace. The eyes were dark, the mane flossy, and the lips pulled back in a menacing snarl to reveal an intimidating set of teeth. A suicide mission for most adventurers. But he wasn’t like most adventurers, and such a hefty bounty could easily put him into an early retirement.

Preparations had taken three days. Enough rations to last him a week, comfortable hunting clothes, materials for luring, weapons for hunting and harvesting. But above all, the most important element: powdered white lily for purity. A substitution for those who wouldn’t consider themselves ‘good of heart’. He’d downed half a pint at the inn to calm his nerves and started on his quest, his sturdy, yet worn leather boots bringing him into the forest.

The first step: find a forest spring, preferably near a waterfall. This took until two hours into the trek, well far away from the village when he came across one. The water was clear and pure, the perfect atmosphere. He’d been careful to mask his human scent with pine before laying the bait out nearby: a collection of wild berries, mushrooms, and vividly colored flowers, all arranged on the silken handkerchief of a virgin maiden. He didn’t linger for long in the serene location, opting to find a reliable lookout point on a tree limb a hundred yards away. Now came the waiting.

Always having been a quiet man, he had no problem biding his time. He sparingly sampled on his rations of jerky whilst carving away at a small chunk of wood with his hunting knife. The village was too loud and disruptive. He was much more in his element when he was alone.

Night had passed and was breaking into dawn at the horizon when the frightened squawk of a songbird pulled him from a light doze. From his vantage point, he could see it- a bit smaller than a work horse, with an ebony mane, a grey mottled pelt. Most identifiably, a silver horn, sprouting from its head. His trophy.

He had to be perfectly silent. The small crossbow in his lap had already been loaded, with the arrow tip having been doused in a concentration of borage and valerian root essence. It wouldn’t be enough to kill the beast, but it’d wound it and sedate it. Steady hands gripped the cross bow, slowly tilting it towards his target. He had one shot.

_Do you really think that’ll do anything to me?_

The unimpressed voice rang clear in his mind, and the beast’s head lifted and turned to face him. In all the stories he’s heard, telepathy was never one of a unicorn’s skills. His finger silently moved to curl lightly around the trigger.

_Sure, you can try. All it’ll do is guarantee you an agonizing death like the rest of them._

Jack had no reason to believe this creature was lying. He pulled his finger back from the trigger.

“Suppose I left now, instead. Would you let me?” His voice, quiet and steady as it was, carried across the still forest.

_Probably not. Now that you’ve seen me._

“It doesn’t appear as though that I have a fair set of options, then.”

_A man as wise as yourself should’ve known better than to hunt me in the first place._

The creature was slowly trotting over to the tree where Jack sat, now. Both of them knew that an attempt at escape now would fail. So, Jack sat still.

Upon closer review, he could see that the mottled color on the beast’s pelt was not natural fur, but instead dried splotches of blood littered across its hindquarters and back. More detail became apparent as well; a thick, old scar, travelling from the curve of its cheek to the poll, as if someone tried to slice off its head. More scar tissue along the shoulders and barrel. The creature flicked its slender tail impatiently as Jack took these sights in.

_What do they call you?_

“Jack.”

The creature snorted. _Original. A beast-hunter named Jack._

“I suppose it’s my calling.”

The unicorn’s nostrils flared at a scent. _Is that white lily?_

A hand cautiously moved into a pocket to pull out a sachet. “Yes, it is. A surrogate for a pure heart.”

_Would you not consider yourself pure-hearted?_

“I think a beast who’s lived as long as you can understand how many mistakes one can make in a lifetime.”

Coal eyes stared up at him, and Jack could feel his memories and mind being scrutinized. _Indeed. I can see you’ve made more mistakes than most._

A long pause was shared between them, and the unicorn flicked its’ tail again. _What’s your reason for hunting me, Jack?_

“There’s a village nearby. Suffering from a plague. They sent me out here to find a cure.”

_My horn._ Jack nodded. More silence.

_….you have a flask, yes?_ Jack nodded again. _Good. Come with me._ The creature turned to walk away, and while it wasn’t said, Jack was acutely aware of the threat lingering if he were to try and ambush it.

He dropped to the forest floor with a balanced crunch of leaves, procuring his flask of water from the loop where it hung on his belt while following the unicorn back toward the spring. The berries and mushrooms had been delicately eaten but the flowers left untouched, with not a single stain on the silk cloth.

_Leave the flask on the ground. Gather the spring water into your hands._ Jack did as instructed, kneeling down onto the dirt to cup a decent amount of the clean water in his large, calloused hands. He could guess what was to come next.

_Present it to me._ Jack turned to face the creature, quietly in awe at its majesty, the strength emanating from it. Without another word, the unicorn knelt its head down, the tip of its prized horn dipping into the pool of water in his hands. An amber, angelic glow radiated up from the root of the horn towards the tip, making the water shimmer as the light graced it.

Jack’s next thought was considering how he’d get the blessed water into his flask, but that was a question answered soon enough. The beast stepped back, the glow in its horn flowing down its head, then its neck. The pale luminescence travelled down to its cloven hooves and tufted tail, before gleaming, growing to a blinding intensity that made Jack turn his head.

When he peered his eyes open again, the beast was gone. In its place stood a man, with hair as dark as its mane and flesh just as heavily scarred. That amber glow now resided within his eyes, gazing down at Jack on his knees. The man smirked and knelt as well, hand reaching out to clutch the flask and bring it to Jack’s cupped hands.

“My gift to you,” the man spoke, in a gravelly tone that was hushed, yet confident. “For the food—and for not shooting me, like the other idiots.” Every drop was carefully poured into the flask. “This will work just as well, and it means I get to keep my head. Best of both worlds.” The man smirked, and that made Jack smile too. They both stood, his height still impressive in comparison to the other’s.

“Only on one condition, however.”

“Oh?”

The man leaned in closer, that amber glow filling Jack’s vision as a chaste kiss was pressed to his dry lips.

“You tell no one where you found me,” the man murmured, running his thumb along Jack’s jaw. “….and you return to see me again.”

Those words were worth more than all the gold in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> For Weirdlet's prompt! "Fantasy AU? Jack finds a unicorn?"
> 
> (is it gay if one's a mythical creature)


End file.
